Brain drain in developing countries

Frédéric Docquier, Olivier Lohest () and Abdeslam Marfouk ()

No 2007004, Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) from Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques

Abstract: Relying on an original data set on international migration by educational attainment for 1990 and 2000, we analyze the determinants of the brain drain from developing countries. We start from a simple decomposition of the brain drain in two multiplicative components, the degree of openess of sending countries (as measured by their average emigration rate) and the schooling gap (as measured by the relative education level of emigrants compared to natives). Using various regression models, we put forward the determinants of the components and explain cross-country differences in skilled migration. unsurprisingly, the brain drain is strong in small countries which are not too distant from the major OECD regions, which share colonial links with OECD countries and which send most of their migrants to host countries where quality-selective immigration programs exist. More interestingly, the brain drain increases with political instability and the degree of fractionalization at origin; it globally decreases with natives’human capital.

Keywords: International migration; Brain drain; Human capital; Developping countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J24 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28
Date: 2007-03-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-hrm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (119)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Brain Drain in Developing Countries (2007)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ctl:louvec:2007004

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